Reusable Nameplate Drawing

[micksulley]

I have created a drawing of a very simple nameplate with some text "Test Text". I then use the Path workbench to generate g-code to run on my router. This works.

I would like to use this to create other nameplates with different text, and text size/position.

If I edit the ShapeString where I defined the text I can change both the text and it's font size and after recompute everything the engraving shows this change. Changing the position of the text in ShapeString changes it on the drawing, but simulation shows that the position has not changed for the engraving.

I notice that the position of the engraving is 0, 0, 0 but I'm not sure what that means. I feel that there is something here which I don't understand.

How do I change the position of my text? Is there a better way to achieve all this?

Thanks
Mick

[chrisb]

Changing the position of the text in ShapeString changes it on the drawing, but simulation shows that the position has not changed for the engraving.

It works here without problems. You can try a recompute before the simulation. Did you have a look at the gcode with inspect gcode? Then you would know if it is the simulation tool or the gcode generation.

OS: Mac OS X
Word size of OS: 64-bit
Word size of FreeCAD: 64-bit
Version: 0.18.13955 (Git)
Build type: Release
Branch: (HEAD detached at f90cd4a)
Hash: f90cd4a56d90408d6a0e81795c3717a03dd02064
Python version: 2.7.15
Qt version: 5.11.0
Coin version: 4.0.0a
OCC version: 7.2.0
Locale: German/Germany (de_DE)

(moved to path forum)

[micksulley]

I have attached my file.
What I did was to create the ShapeString with 'Test Text' at font 6 roughly centred both ways, and created the job and the engrave operation. Simulated and it looked fine.
I then edited ShapeString to read 'More Text' at font 10, moved it left so the larger text would be centred and towards the bottom of the plate.
I recomputed everything and now see it as expected, however when I simulate I can see the tool start where the original text started, seems to engrave the new text and font size, but that now the larger text takes it right to the right hand edge and it is still centred vertically, not towards the bottom of the plate as it should be.

I'm afraid my current knowledge of g-code doesn't allow be to deduce much from that, but I have just run it on my router and it is as I say, new text and size but old position.

Could you have a look please? It is more than possible that I have done something wrong, but I don't know what.

Thanks
Mick

[chrisb]

It is more than possible that I have done something wrong, but I don't know what.

Please attach your FreeCAD info as described in the help forum's IMPORTANT banner.

[chrisb]

I had a hard time moving your ShapeString at all, because you used Expressions on the Placement; why did you do so?

Finally I found the reason for the described behaviour - and it works as designed!

On Job creation a clone is generated. That is helpful e.g. if you want to turn the original to another side for further machining. Clones follow allmost all changes of their master - except placement.
If you create the job with the ShapeString as its base object, you would have to move the clone and not the ShapeString itself. If you want to have a ShapeString moving together with its path you better attach it to the body and make the body the job's base object. Then you can move the ShapeString in the body and in the clone the ShapeString will move as well and thus the path will move as well.

Alas, I don't know how to get rid of the "Part::FeaturePython: Links go out of the allowed scope" messages.

[chrisb]

Here is a solution without the "Links go out of the allowed scope" warnings:
- leave the ShapeString outside the body
- use the Body as BaseObject for the Job
- select the ShapeString
- create the engraving operation

[micksulley]

Many thanks for your detailed reply, much appreciated!

A couple of questions -
You said I used Expressions on the Placement, sorry I don't understand, I set it to 11, 10, 10
"Part::FeaturePython: Links go out of the allowed scope" messages. I didn't see any of these, did I miss them?

I have looked at the files you provided, v2 looks perfect for what I wanted, I need to go through it in more detail to understand it better. I am finding FreeCAD a steep learning curve, but I guess with all of the features and capabilities there is a lot to learn. It is a very impressive package.

Thanks
Mick

[chrisb]

Many thanks for your detailed reply, much appreciated!

You're welcome.

You said I used Expressions on the Placement, sorry I don't understand, I set it to 11, 10, 10

Did you use the Placement panel, available by clicking the three dots at the right of the Placement entry after you select it?
If you open the placement in the Data tab you see the following:

Bildschirmfoto 2018-06-13 um 19.09.02.png (14.14 KiB) Viewed 368 times

Behind the values for x and y there are the same values in brackets, which are in fact constant Expressions. Clicking on one of the values yields

Bildschirmfoto 2018-06-13 um 19.12.29.png (11.02 KiB) Viewed 368 times

with a dark blue f(x) symbol at the right. It seems you have clicked there and entered the values there.
I am working mostly on a Mac and the FreeCAD version shows a very annoying behaviour: I cannot discard Expressions to return to normal so I was a rather unhappy with these expressions.

"Part::FeaturePython: Links go out of the allowed scope" messages. I didn't see any of these, did I miss them?

I had them in the first file I uploaded

I have looked at the files you provided, v2 looks perfect for what I wanted, I need to go through it in more detail to understand it better. I am finding FreeCAD a steep learning curve, but I guess with all of the features and capabilities there is a lot to learn. It is a very impressive package.

A steep learning curve means that you have to go only a few steps to reach a higher level .

[cahlfors]

A steep learning curve means that you have to go only a few steps to reach a higher level .

Ha ha - good point!

[micksulley]

Sorry to go on about this but if I take your shapeString_cb2 file it looks good and I can simulate as expected, however if I just change the text in ShapeString, mark all and recompile, the simulator no longer works, the tool lifts up a fraction and it is instantly complete. I have also tried just changing position and the same thing happens

Any ideas?
Mick

OS: Linux Mint 18.3 Sylvia
Word size of OS: 64-bit
Word size of FreeCAD: 64-bit
Version: 0.17.13522 (Git)
Build type: None
Branch: releases/FreeCAD-0-17
Hash: 3bb5ff4e70c0c526f2d9dd69b1004155b2f527f2
Python version: 2.7.12
Qt version: 4.8.7
Coin version: 4.0.0a
OCC version: 7.2.0
Locale: English/UnitedKingdom (en_GB)